


Requiem

by copticcolors (orphan_account)



Category: Hey Arnold!
Genre: A series of drabbles, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 17:15:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9395288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/copticcolors
Summary: "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Craig Barlett owns everyone in this fic.

Arnold had been relatively silent that week. 

Some tried to console him. His grandparents, his fellow classmates, even the tenants at Sunset Arms. But to no avail. Instead he thanked for their kindness, the light in his eyes extinguished.

He went to her wake and her funeral, helpless as he reality slapped him in the face with its heedless hand. Relatives and classmates swarmed around him as they witnessed her casket descend into the endless abyss – one that would hopefully offer an illustrious second chance for his love.

“Hey, man,” Arnold turned to see Gerald standing behind him, shoulder draped over his girlfriend Phoebe, “How you holding up?”

The question was seared into his mind by this point, but he could never find the words to express himself.

“I guess I’m doing alright,” Arnold replied, his left arm clasped over his right one as a sullen sigh escaped him.

“Arnold,” Phoebe piped up from Gerald’s grasp, “If you need someone to speak with, please, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

“She’s right,” Gerald spoke, rubbing his girlfriend’s shoulder gently, “We’re here for you man. Don’t forget that.” 

Arnold felt the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile, a gesture that felt sincere and natural for him. “Thanks, guys,” he began, falling silent for a moment,  
“But I think I need to be alone for a while.” 

Phoebe nodded while Gerald offered a small sigh. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Arnold.”

\--  
It had been a week since the funeral, and a couple of days since classes resumed. Spring was in full bloom – one could practically taste the scents that filled the air. An eclectic selection of flowers animated the city as the birds chirped gleefully in celebration of the new season. 

Arnold hadn’t been able to concentrate on his classes nor could really stomach any of the food offered to him. Even the school counselor had trouble getting through to him. She suggested that Phil and Gertie talk to their grandson but the boy stubbornly rebuked their words.

“You know for a kid, he’s taking this a little too hard.” Oskar spoke, eyeing the somber tween that walked down the porch steps of the Sunset Arms apartment complex. 

Phil elbowed the younger man in the gut, showing no remorse or mildness in his actions.

“OW. Hey, what was that for, Grandpa?” Oskar asked after regaining his balance. 

“That’s my grandson your talking about, Kokoschka.” 

“What? I’m just saying kids his age don’t just fall in love with the first girl they meet.”

Phil groaned. “Don’t you have some other dump to stink up today?”

Thankfully, Arnold didn’t hear anything of the passing conversation between his grandfather and his indolent neighbor. Instead he slipped his earbuds in and listened to the playlist that appeared on his Spotify library. He tried to focus on the lyrics, but his mind kept wandering toward the mess that occupied his mind. If only he had been there for her.

He eventually arrived in the park and slumped in the first bench he saw. He picked himself up and folded his left leg over his right one, carelessly observing the events that took place before him. He saw two pigeons fighting over a crust of bread. He saw a young couple, probably in their early to mid-twenties, sit sweetly in each other’s’ company, the man strumming the strings of his guitar as his beau admired his musical proficiency. He saw a couple of joggers and pedestrians with their dogs pass by. These sights amused him to some degree, but none of them really left an impact. 

Save for one. 

He observed the playground from the corner of his eye but his attention was firmly established at the sight of two young children arguing. A little boy and girl. They couldn’t have been older than eight or nine. 

“Well, I TRIPLE dog dare you!” The girl exclaimed, a satisfied smirk resting on her features as she stared at her male counterpart. 

“Come on, Dani. This is stupid,” 

“What’s the matter, chicken boy? ‘Fraid you can’t do it?”

“No,” the boy began, averting his gaze for a moment before looking up at the girl. “It’s just that it doesn’t sound like a good idea, that’s all.” 

“Ha! Don’t give me that crap! You’re totally chicken!” The girl teased before imitating a chicken, prompting the boy to glare at her angrily. “You know what? Fine. I’ll do it. If it’ll keep you from bothering me.”  
The girl snorted. “This outta be good.”

The boy rolled his eyes before walking away. 

Arnold felt as if he had witnessed a ghost. Swallowing hard, he slowly began to pick himself up from his seat, only to slam right into some unfortunate sap.

“I’m okay!” A familiar voice rang through Arnold’s ears as he picked himself up, dusting off his flannel before looking down at the ginger haired boy who was struggling to pick himself up with roller blades on his feet.

“Eugene?” Arnold spoke, extending his arm toward the struggling boy. 

“Oh, hey, Arnold!” Eugene greeted as he finally steadied his balance. “Just practicing for my part in the school play – acting is serious business you know.” 

“Uh-huh,” Arnold began, failing to hide his disinterest. 

“But hey, how are you doing?”

“Okay, I guess.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes.”

“Oh, okay,” Eugene’s voice trailed off, falling silent for a moment. “It gets easier, you know. You just need to take it one day at a time, and try to enjoy the little things in li—“

“Alright. I get it. Thanks, Eugene.” Arnold said, releasing the other tween before he landed on the ground with an abrupt “oof!” 

Arnold figured it was probably time to head home. Not that he had been out for too long, but he already had his fix of human communication for one day. 

His hands were submersed in his jacket pockets, music resounding in his ears with every step he took. The thoughts of his girlfriend whirred through his mind haphazardly, creating an incomprehensible sea of emotions. The fact that he didn’t feel wistful bothered him initially, but he figured that within time the correct emotions would finally set in.

The question was when.

He kicked a rock out of his path as he walked, brows knitted while stuck in pensive thought. He didn’t feel somber in the least; instead he felt abandoned. It was whenever he needed someone the most they were never there. He couldn’t recall a time when he didn’t feel some sense of emptiness. 

“Arnold?” 

Arnold’s head snapped up to see a young woman standing before him. “Olga?” He blinked, oblivious to the fact that he was in Helga’s neighborhood.

Olga smiled gently as she approached the boy, a cardboard box occupying both her hands. She wasn’t nearly as bad as her sister’s propaganda made her out to be. A bit neurotic, sure, but it was clear that she loved her younger sister – even if she didn’t express it in a more earnest manner.

Arnold pulled off his earbuds as Olga approached him, his stomach becoming uneasy at the sight of his girlfriend’s sister. They were subtle but he did notice the facial similarities between Helga and Olga. They shared the same sapphire eyes, and when she smiled he could’ve sworn he saw an older version of Helga in her image. Of course, this observation didn’t discredit the disparities between the two. Helga had a certain ferocity and hardiness in her eyes that Olga lacked; she was more resilient in the face of adversity. 

“Hey, Arnold.” Olga greeted the boy. “Do you have a minute for us to talk?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Arnold replied, slipping his hands into his pockets. “What’s up?” 

“These last couple of weeks have been rough on all of us,” she began, lowering the box onto the sidewalk. “Mom and Dad have been doing alright, and I’ve been getting by.” 

Arnold quipped his brow, his patience wearing thin. 

“But I can’t imagine what you must be going through. To lose your first love,” Olga sighed, “It’s such a tragic thing to witness.” 

Arnold frowned. “Thanks, Olga.” He muttered before curiously peeking inside the box. 

“That’s why I want you have to have this.” Olga said, bending over to pull out a small pink book from the box. “I think my baby sister would’ve wanted you to have this.” 

Arnold took the book in his hands, observing it for a brief second as he realized that he was staring at Helga’s diary. “What?”

“I think you’ll have more use for it than my parents or I. I doubt Helga would’ve been thrilled to see us trifling through her secrets.” 

Arnold blinked at Olga before looking down at the diary, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat. “No, you should keep it. She’s your sister, after all. It just wouldn’t be right for me to take this.”

Olga chuckled, a somber sense of amusement filling her voice. “Arnold, we have plenty of Helga’s possessions to remember her by. Trust me, she would’ve wanted you to have it.”

“Her diary?” Arnold retorted cynically before shaking his head. “I mean, these are her private thoughts. I shouldn’t just read through them like they never had any significance.”

“If you won’t read it then at the very least take it. Consider it a keepsake of sorts.”

Arnold sighed. He carefully deliberated on the situation before replying. “I guess there’s no harm in at least keeping it.” He said, scratching the back of his head. “Thank you, Olga.”

Olga beamed. “Of course, Arnold.” She paused for a moment while Arnold studied the book. “Anyway, I should be heading home. I got a callback for an audition so I should be preparing for that.” She bent over to give Arnold a hug. “Take care of yourself.” 

Arnold tensed a little before responding. “I’ll try my best.”

 

Arnold was relatively silent for the duration of the evening. He ate dinner and did some homework. Or rather, attempted to do some homework. He wanted to know what the secrets that diary held; the thoughts that his girlfriend chronicled over the years. 

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t just smear Helga’s memory like that. Instead it would remain on his nightstand. For weeks, maybe months. Perhaps years. He couldn’t really stomach its existence in his head, and the fact that he came into possession of it. Part of him wanted to get rid of it, burn it, or perhaps silently return it to the Patakis. The other part was suffocating from curiosity. He wanted to preserve her memory to the best of his abilities, even if it meant exposing some of her most coveted memories. Sure, perhaps her ghost would haunt him for the rest of his days, but at least he would be able to envision her character one last time.

Arnold shut off his laptop and walked over to the nightstand, swallowing heavily as his fingers stroked the leather book that sat on it. 

_“Easy, Arnold. It’s just a diary. It can’t do anything to harm you, right?”_

At least that what was he told himself.

He chuckled. “Guess I’ve spending too much time with Sid.” 

With that, he opened the diary. He observed the first page, a canvas adorned with stick figure drawings of what he presumed were him and Helga. He smiled. They were clearly doodles she sketched during some of the boring intervals of their classes. To some extent, these doodles prompted a sense of comfort. He needed all the emotional endurance to get through these next few days or weeks.  
Inhaling deeply, he flipped the page and began to read the date marked on it.

_“April 27th….”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas for chapters/diary entries? Please leave your feedback in the comments!


End file.
